James Patterson

Jim peacefully passed away Tuesday, September 18, 2007 in the Hospice Home in Kamloops. Jim was born in Nanaimo. He spent his growing up years between Nanaimo and Cumberland. In his late teens he began working in the Cumberland mines. In the mid-forties he married Barbara Waitt from Nanaimo. They had two children, Gail (1947) and Jimmy (1949).

Jim lost Barbara to cancer in 1952. While Jim continued to work in the coal mines the children were lovingly cared for by Jim’s parents, Dorothy and John Patterson. He left the mines and worked for a short while on a fish boat with his friend Walter Van Alton before going to Vancouver to work. He met Ruth Milburn and in 1955 they were married and took the children to live with them in Vancouver.

Jim found work with the City of Vancouver, eventually purchasing his own back-hoe machine to contract out. He took early retirement in 1979 and he and Ruth moved back to the family home in Cumberland. In 1993 they purchased a patio home in Courtenay.

Ruth and Jim enjoyed many years camping, fishing, travelling and following their favourite sports until Ruth’s health began to fail. She passed away in February 2005 after a struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Jim’s health began to deteriorate in December 2003. He had melanoma cancer which surprisingly went into remission for three years. In August 2005 he moved to Kamloops to be closer to his daughter Gail and family. Unfortunately this past summer the melanoma returned and he spent his last three weeks in hospital and hospice being lovingly cared for by family and hospice staff. During this time Jim never complained and remained alert until the last day when he went peacefully to sleep with his family at his side.

Jim was predeceased by his first wife Barbara, his parents John and Dorothy, his sister-in-law Davidena Patterson (1978), his brother Henry (1994), and his wife Ruth in 2005.

Missing him will be his daughter Gail (John), son Jimmy (Sylvia), six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Also left to mourn is his sister Jacqueline (Joe) Franceschini and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

There will be no service by request. He will be cremated and his ashes laid to rest in the Cumberland Cemetery.